Railway spring hanger



June 10, 1941. Q KJQLSETH 2,245,201

RAILWAY SPRING HANGER Filed Feb. 13, 1940 Fig.2

Inventor: Oie Kljolseth,

His Attorney Patented June 10, 1941 lTED STA-E MELWVAY SPRING.- HANGER Ole K. Kjolseth, Erie, Pa., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in railway vehicle spring hangers.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved railway spring hanger fabricated of welded elements.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent and my invention will be better understood from the following description referring to the accompanying drawing, and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of my improved spring hanger; Fig. 2 is an end view of the spring hanger shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevaticnal view of another embodiment of my improved spring hanger; Fig. 4 is an end view of the spring hanger shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a further modification of my improved spring hanger; and Fig. 6 is an end view of the spring hanger shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a railway vehicle spring hanger which is fabricated by welding together elements formed of conventional structural material. By constructing a spring hanger in this manner, it is possible to provide hangers of various shapes and sizes according to the exact requirements of the vehicle suspension system without the labor and expense required for making cast units of this type. Furthermore, such a fabricated Welded structure provides these spring hangers with the desired strength without the use of any special securing devices, such as bolts, screws, or removable pins which might be the cause of the loose connections between the parts of the hangers. As shown in these figures, a substantially cylindrical cross pin it formed of a section of steel rod is inserted in an aperture l l formed in an end of a side bar or strap l2. In order to provide the usual stirrup type hanger, I provide a pair of these side bars l2 arranged one adjacent each end of the cross pin it and weld the cross pin to the side bars around the surface of the aperture H, as indicated at l3. These side bars I2 are secured together intermediate the ends thereof by a cross web including a web plate It and flanges l5 and i6 welded on the longitudinal edges of the plate 14 and welded to the side bars l2. This cross web is secured to the side bars 12 at a point removed frcm the cross pin It, so that the ends of a leaf spring or the end of an equalizer may be inserted between the cross pin and the cross Web.

In order to provide a good bearing surface for the cross pin on the ends of the leaf springs or the equalizer, I provide a curved bearing element I? of any suitable bearing material, which is welded at It to the cross pin it. The ends of the side bars l2 opposite the aperture I l away from the cross pin it) are formed with openings H3 in order to provide for supporting a cross bar on which the end of an equalizer or a leaf spring may be mounted. This improved spring hanger provides a rigid and simplified construction without any relatively movable parts, and also reduces the cost of construction and maintenance thereof.

In Figs. 3 and 4, I have shown another embodiment of my invention wherein the vehicle spring hanger comprises a cross pin 29 to which a pair of side bars or straps 2! are welded. These side bars 2! are formed with apertures 22 adjacent one end thereof and are arranged with the cross pin 20 extending through the apertures 22 with one side bar adjacent each end of the cross pin. The side bar and the cross pin are securely connected together by welding, a shown at 23, on the inside and the outside of the side bars. These side bars are also connected together by a cross web M which is welded at the ends thereof to the side bars at a point spaced from the cross pin 2c, so as to provide for the insertion of the end of a spring or an equalizer therebetween. In this construction, the cross web 24 is arranged adjacent the end of side bars 2! opposite to the apertures 23, and a hanger strap 25 is welded thereto adjacent the central portion thereof. The end 26 of the strap 25, opposite the end which is secured to the cross web 2 is enlarged to provide a sup port in the form of a spring seat for a coil spring. The bearing surface of the cross pin 20 is improved by securing thereto a curved bearing element 2! formed of any suitable bearing material by welding it to the uncle side of the cross pin 2t.

In Figs. 5 and 6, I have shown a further modification of my invention providing a simplified vehicle spring hanger. In this construction, a cross pin 28 is formed of a piece of structural steel rod and is arranged to be supported on the end of a leaf spring or of an equalizer bar. The supporting surface of this cross pin is provided with a curved bearing element 29 of any suitable bearing material which is Welded to the under side of the cross pin 28 to provide a better wearing surface. A pair of side bars or straps to is provided with an aperture adjacent one end of each bar arranged one over each end of the cross pin 28. These straps are securely welded to the cross pin 28 on each side thereof, as shown at 3|, and are formed with an opening 32 in the opposite end of the side bars to provide for supporting a cross bar which is adapted to engage the end of a leaf spring or an equalizer bar. This provides a very simple and rugged construction which is economical to manufacture and provides a unit without movable parts.

While I have illustrated and described particular embodiments of my invention, modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in the art. I desire it to be understood, therefore, that my invention is not to be limited to the particular arrangements disclosed, and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A railway vehicle spring hanger including a cross pin, and a pair of side bars each having an aperture adjacent an end thereof fitted over said pin and welded thereto one adjacent each end of said pin, said bars being formed adjacent the other end thereof for providing a support.

2. A railway vehicle spring hanger including a substantially cylindrical cross pin, a curved hearing element welded to said cross pin, a pair of side bars each having an aperture adjacent an end thereof fitted over said pin and welded thereto adjacent an end of said pin, said bars being formed adjacent the other end thereof for providing a support.

3. A railway vehicle spring hanger including a cross pin, a pair of side bars welded adjacent an end thereof to said pin one adjacent each end of said pin, said bars being formed adjacent the other end thereof for providing a support, and a cross web extending between said side bars at a point removed from said cross pin and welded to said side bars.

4. A railway vehicle spring hanger including a cross pin, a pair of side bars each having an aperture adjacent an end thereof fitted over said pin and welded thereto one adjacent each end of said pin, said bars being formed adjacent the other end thereof for providing a support, and a cross web extending between said side bars at a point removed from said cross pin and welded to said side bars.

5. A railway vehicle spring hanger including a cross pin, a pair of side bars each having an aperture adjacent an end thereof fitted over said pin and welded thereto one adjacent each end of said pin, a cross web extending between said side bars at a point removed from said cross pin and welded to said side bars, and means secured to said cross web for providing a support.

. OLE K. KJOLSETI-I. 

